APPS & SITES

Here is another location from within that amazing city of crypts in Argentina. I took so many shots in there that my shutter almost joined the derelict remains of this rather haunting locale.

I probably could have stayed here another few hours. I wanted to peek inside every crypt and root around inside for all sorts of treasure or +1 daggers. Even though my time there was too short, I still managed to grab a wild variety of shots that I am still enjoying and reviewing many weeks later. I simply can’t wait to get back to this spot some day!

In Buenos Aires, there is a very artsy area called La Boca. It’s filled with tiny little studios, restaurants, tango in the streets, and all kinds of life. The colors are bright and vibrant, so, of course, I went crazy with my camera there. While exploring, I found this cool artist’s studio on the second floor of an interior section. I had on my 24-70mm, and I was admiring her studio at f2.4. Then, by luck, she came to the window to peer out. I grabbed a quick one.

This was edited with Nik Software, so I took this opportunity to write a Nik Review for y’all! It’s very cool software, and I have put a bunch of new images inside of there… Many of them are “in progress”, and might not show up in their final form on the blog for a few weeks.

I am still here in Argentina, although the photo below is from last week in Buenos Aires. If any of you watch Lost, then you will be familiar with my “flashback” and “flashforward” style of description. I know some of you were waiting to hear more about the backpacking adventure, but I’ll sprinkle that stuff in over the next six months or so, interlaced with other various plots (again, like Lost). Also, like Lost, many of my stories have no endings.

As for this one, the five Russians and I went to one of the oldest Tango dinner expositions in the city. Argentina is famous for the tango and swarthy Argentinian men who perform it. This is the famous dance hall of Homero Manzi, who is apparently some kind of a legend, according the little video they put up before the dance. The video was of very low quality, which made me think it was either very old or made by a college student.

The dinner consisted of a variety of meats and wines and tango dances and music. It was quite a show. The whole thing was scripted like an old 1960’s style dinner theater with all sorts of staged scenes and dramatic dances.

These sorts of things are always extremely difficult to photograph. It’s very dark. There’s a lot of movement, and it’s tough to figure out the ideal setup. I clambered up to where the supplies are stored and set up for this shot. You can actually see Yuri somewhere in this photo… I won’t say where. Although I can assure you he is not one of the swarthy Argentinian dancers. Furthermore, this was shot with a wide-angle lens, so objects such as Yuri may be larger than they appear.

This is one of the many dead city blocks in La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. This place was filled with ornate mausoleums which ranged in style from the gothic to Victorian, each as macabre as the next.

The graveyard hosts some of the most famous people from Argentina, including Eva Perón. I spent about an hour walking down narrow alleys and broad boulevards of this eerie city. I could have spent many more hours, and I have an idea to sneak in one night after dark and bring my own lighting equipment. Any takers? Let’s do it… what’s the worst that can happen? (These kind of questions often get me in trouble).

In other news… I was taking a siesta today and in barged two Russians. One, my friend Dima, announced, “This is new roommate Yuri. He does not speak English.” Yuri is the size of a smallish Beluga and he is currently in his underwear.